Ashtray

ABSTRACT

&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;Ashtray structure for a vehicle comprising a drawer pivotably mounted at its rear end in a housing carried by the wall with which the ashtray structure is combined. The wall and housing have coincident apertures. The drawer pivots between a stable inoperative position and a stable position of use in which position it is downwardly and forwardly inclined and presents its interior in front of said apertures.

United States Patent Inventor Appl. No. Filed Patented AssigneesPriority ASHTRAY Michel Bonnaud Montbeliard, France 775,661

Nov. 14, 1968 Mar. 30, 197 1 Automobiles Peugeot Paris,

Regie National Des Usines Renault Billancourt, France Dec. 6, 1967France 9 Claims, 7 Drawing Figs.

U.S.Cl

lnt.Cl

[50] Field of Search 312/242, 245, 246, 248

[5 6] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,505,324 4/1950 Hendricks3 l 2/242X 2,812,097 11/1957 Legge 312/248X 3,437,391 4/1969 Middleton 3l2/242X Primary ExaminerCasmir A. Nunberg Attorney-Burns, Doane,Benedict, Swecker & Mathis ABSTRACT: Ashtray structure for a vehiclecomprising a drawer pivotably mounted at its rear end in a housingcarried by the wall with which the ashtray structure is combined. Thewall and housing have coincident apertures. The drawer pivots between astable inoperative position and a stable position of use in whichposition it is downwardly and forwardly inclined and presents itsinterior in front of said apertures.

PATENTEDmaomn 3572871 sum 3 [1F 3 FIG.7

ASHTRAY The present invention relates to ashtrays for automobilevehicles, railway carriages, flying machines and other vehicles orcraft, or, in a general way, for any place in which the user is liableto undergo involuntary rapid movements and consequentiy be injured bythe ashtray if the latter in its position of use projects beyond theinstniment panel, wall or other panel carrying the ashtray.

Now, is unfortunately true of most known ashtray arrangements in whichthe ashtray comprises a receptacle which slides or pivots about a pin,carried by or disposed adjacent to, the front face of this receptacle,so that the latter, in the position of use, projects practicallycompletely beyond the wall carrying it.

The object of the invention is to remedy this serious drawback.

The invention provides an ashtray wherein there is no projection fromthe wall which carries the ashtray. This ashtray comprises a receptacleconsisting of a drawer which is pivotably mounted near the rear endthereof in a support housing carried by the rear face of the wall towhich the ashtray is adapted, said drawer being pivotable between twostable positions, namely one of rest and the other of use in whichlatter position the drawer is inclined forwardly in such manner as topresent its cavity in front of apertures formed in coincidence in saidwall and in said housing.

According to a preferred embodiment, the drawer is removable andcombined with a single spring which is so adapted that, it maintains thejournals about which the drawer is pivotable in the position in whichthey are journaled in the housing and ensures that the drawer ismaintained in a stable position in said positions of rest andutilization by an overcenter movement, said spring also being adapted topartially eject the drawer from the housing after disengagement of saidjournals of the drawer.

Further features and advantages of the invention will be apparent fromthe ensuing description with reference to the accompanying drawings.

in the drawings: I

FIG. ii is a longitudinal sectional view of an ashtray according to theinvention, the drawer constituting a receptacle being in the position ofrest;

Fit 2 is a view similar to FIG. l with the drawer in the position ofutilization, that is for receiving ashes or other waste;

MG. 3 is a perspective view, partly in section, of the support housing;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the drawer constituting a receptacle;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the spring;

Fifi. s is a longitudinal sectional view of the position of the drawerfor the ejection of the latter, and

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6 of the drawer in a practicallydisengaged position.

In the illustrated embodiment, the ashtray according to the invention isadapted to be fixed to the rear face of a wall I, for example theinstrument panel of a vehicle. Formed in this wall is an aperture 2provided with a flange through which the cavity of the receptacle of theashtray is accessible.

The ashtray comprises the combination of a support housing A, a drawer Bforming a receptacle for the ashes or other waste and a single spring Chaving several functions.

The support housing A constitutes in fact a hood provided with an uppersolid wall 3 (see in particular FIGS. 1 and 3), a rear solid wall 4 andtwo parallel lateral walls 5, only one of which is visible in theFigures. This support housing is completely open on the underside and onthe front side in the form of a large aperture s having such dimensionsthat it can be adapted and fitted to the flange of the aperture 2 formedin the wall i. This housing can be secured to this wall by thecombination of an upper bolt 7', which extends through an aperture ii inthe wall l and into a notch 9 formed in a tab it) integral with thehousing, and two lugs ll which extend downwardly from the lower edge ofthe lateral walls 5 and are engaged in two deformed portions 12 in thewall 1.

internally, each of the lateral walls 5 has a thickened portion 13(FIGS. 1 and 3) whose lower edge defines therebelow a rabbet l Formed inthis thickened portion is a groove l5 which is slightly downwardly andrearwardly inclined from the front end to, where it communicates withthe front edge of the thickened portion R3, to its rear end in which itextends upwardly in the form of a hook-shaped passageway and terminatesin a circular recess or bearing portion 17. The two portions 17 have acommon transverse axis X-X.

Further, under the top wall 3, the portion 13 has two projections orabutments, namely a front projection l8 and a rear projection I9 andeach lateral wall 5 caries a rear projection constituting a stud 20. Therespective functions of these projections and stud will be describedhereinafter.

The drawer B forming a receptacle for the ashes and waste of for examplecigars, cigarettes, or matches is completely open on its upper side, allof its other walls being solid. Its front transverse wall 2i extendsupwardly in the form of a handle 22 which is integral with the wall 2iand constitutes the sole part of the ashtray which slightly protrudesfrom the front face of the wall ll, this handle including impressions 23(FIG. 4) which facilitate placing cigarettes in a position of rest.

Internally, the drawer has an apertured grid or grate 24 acting as anextinguisher for the cigarettes.

Externally, the drawer comprises two lateral journals 25 having an axisX'--)( (FIG. 4) adapted to coincide with the axis X-)( in the positionof the utilization of the ashtray. The journals 25 are adapted to rotatein the aforementioned cylindrical bearing portions 17 at the rear endsof the grooves I5.

Externally, each of the longitudinal lateral faces of the drawer B isprovided at the base with a longitudinal rib 26 adapted to slide in thecorresponding lower rabbet 14 of the support housing A.

The rear transverse face of the drawer has a rib 27 adapted to bear onthe center branch 2% of the spring C.

This spring is shown separately in FllG. 5 and consists of a cranked andbent wire which comprises, in addition to the center branch 28, twolateral branches 29 which are con nected to the center branch 28 by tworectilinear transverse portions 30 and provided intermediate their endswith eyes 31 obtained by a helical winding of the wire of the spring.These eyes are adapted to engage, as seen in FIGS. l, 2, 6 and '7, onthe studs 20 of the housing A so that when the eyes constituted by saidwindings are engaged on these studs with the spring abutting the upperrear corner of the housing A by its rectilinear and transverse portions30, the center branch 28 is downwardly directed so as to abut the rearrib 27 of the drawer whereas the two lateral branches 29 are in aposition at the front to abut the journals 25 of the drawer.

Reference will now be had to FIG. l in which the assembly is in itsmounted position of rest. The drawer is roughly horizontal. Its journals25 are engaged in the bearing portions 17, the axis X'X' of thesejournals being coincident with the axis XX, and they are-maintained inthis position by the front branches 29 of the spring C.

Further, the median or center branch 28 of the spring bears against therib 27 and exerts thereon a thrust I which results in a torque PXa whichtends to pivot the drawer B in the direction of arrow f and maintain itin a stable position in which the longitudinal lateral edges of thedrawer abut the front projections and the upper edge of the front wall211 is in the vicinity of the upper edges of the apertures 2?. and ti.

When it is desired to use the ashtray, pressure is exerted on the handle22 (FIG. 1) by a finger of the hand and the drawer is pivoted to theposition ll? shown in FIG. 2, the journals 2.5 rotating in the bearingportions I7 about the axis X-X until the upper rear edge of the drawerabuts the top wall 3 of the housing A. The drawer now presents its wideopen cavity in front of the coincident apertures 12 and 6 of the wall 1and housing A.

The position B is also a stable position since for this position thethrust p exerted by the spring C on the rear rib 27 now passes above theaxis X-X and creates a torque P X b which tends to pivot the drawerstill more in the direction of arrow f" and consequently maintains it inabutment against the top wall 3 of the housing A. In this position, theupper edge of the front wall 21 is in the vicinity of the lower edges ofthe apertures 2 and 6.

To return the drawer to the position shown in FIG. 1, it is sufiicientto push the handle 22 upwardly as shown in FIG. 2.

When it is desired to empty the drawer, it is easy to extract it fromthe housing A. To do this, the ashtray being in the position shown inFiG. i, the handle 22 is urged upwardly beyond the closed or inoperativeposition of the ashtray drawer; and, by this movement, the drawer, inbearing against the'front projections it pivots about the latter and thejournals 25 move downwardly and to the rear end of the rectilinearportions of the grooves 15, which now makes it possible to shift thedrawer forwardly while the lower longitudinal ribs 26 move forwardly inthe rabbets 14.

The start of the forward movement is initiated by the spring C whichthen performs the function. of an ejector. Indeed, its center branch 2%continues to exert pressure on the rear rib 27 of the drawer while thelateral branches 29 continue to exert a pressure on the journals 25.However, the branches 29 soon abut the rear projections 19 of thesupport housing (FIG. 7) and the extended spring C stops in the positionshown in FIG. '7.

The drawer B is now sufficiently disengaged to be easily taken hold ofas shown in FIG. 7 and completely disengaged, the journals 25 issuingfrom the grooves 15 through the open front ends of the latter.

The drawer is placed in position in the opposite manner, the drawerbeing presented in the position shown in FIG. 7, it is merely necessaryto urge it rearwardly so that the ribs 25 move in the rabbets 14 whilethe journals 25 move rearwardly in the grooves l until they encounterthe branches 29 of the spring C and the rib 27 encounters the branch 28of this spring. The end of the positioning movement is reached bycontinuing to urge the drawer B rearwardly in opposition to the actionof the spring.

At the end of the movement, the journals 25 automatically engage in thebearing portions 17 and the entire ashtray resumes the position shown inFIG. ll.

it can be seen that the movements are extremely simple. The assembly ofthe ashtray comprises only the three elements A, B and C, the elements Aand B being for example of metal or plastics material and for example ofa wholly moulded structure. There is strictly speaking no pivotassembly, the parts being simply fitted together so that assembly anddisassembly are extremely simple.

As the ashtray is in either the position shown in FIG. 1 or that shownin FIG. 2 when in use, it practically does not extend beyond the frontof the wall 1 and is not liable to injure the person in front of it inthe event of a shock.

Although a specific embodiment of the invention has been described, manymodifications and changes may be made therein without departing from thescope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An ashtray structure for a vehicle, said ashtray structure comprisinga receptacle consisting of a drawer, means defining a support housingcombined with a front wall having an outer surface, a cavity within saidhousing and containing said drawer, means defining an aperture in saidfront wall whereby said cavity is accessible from a side of said wallopposed to said cavity, said aperture having an upper edge and a loweredge on said outer surface, said drawer having an upper open side and afront wall having an upper outer edge, pivot means connecting saiddrawer to said housing to pivot about an axis between an inoperativeposition and a position of use in which position of use said drawer isdownwardly and forwardly inclined so as to present the said open side ofsaid drawer in front of said aperture, and means for maintaining saiddrawer selectively in said two positions, said pivot axis being solocated relative to said drawer and said upper and lower edges of saidaperture that said upper outer edge of said front wall of said drawer isin the vicinity of but does not project beyond said upper and loweredges of said aperture relative to said cavity in said two positions ofsaid drawer whereby said drawer is located wholly within said cavity insaid two positions.

2. An ashtray structure for a vehicle, saidashtray structure comprisinga receptacle consisting of a drawer, means defining a support housingcombined with a front wall having an outer surface, a cavity within saidhousing and containing said drawer, means defining an aperture in saidfront wall whereby said cavity is accessible from a side of said wallopposed to said cavity, said aperture having an upper edge and a loweredge on said outer surface, said drawer having an upper open side and afront wall having an upper outer edge, pivot means connecting saiddrawer to said housing to pivot about an axis between an inoperativeposition and a position of use in which position of use said drawer isdownwardly and forwardly inclined so as to present the said open side ofsaid drawer in front of said aperture, and means for maintaining saiddrawer selectively in said two positions, said pivot axis being solocated relative to said drawer and said upper and lower edges of saidaperture that said upper outer edge of said front wall of said drawer isin the vicinity of but does not project beyond said upper and loweredges of said aperture relative to said cavity in said two positions ofsaid drawer whereby said drawer is located wholly within said cavity insaid two positions, said drawer being removable and said pivot meanscomprising two coaxial journals mounted on said drawer and two coaxialbearing recesses in said housing and in which said journals arejournaled, each of said recesses having a lateral passageway allowingthe corresponding journal to be shifted radially out of the recess in agiven direction, spring means interposed between said drawer and saidhousing and biasing said drawer in a direction to shift the drawer outof said cavity and through said aperture but in a direction other thansaid given direction whereby said journals are normally maintained insaid recesses by said spring means but are withdrawable therefrom byshifting said drawer in said given direction in opposition to the actionof said spring means whereafter said spring means eject said drawerthrough said aperture.

3. An ashtray structure as claimed in claim 2, wherein said housing haslateral walls and said passageways are portions of two grooves providedin said lateral walls and extending from said recesses toward saidaperture, said recesses being partcylindrical upwardly extending innerend portions of said grooves, said journals being slidable in saidgrooves and capable of upwardly engaging in said part-cylindricalportions in said given direction.

4. An ashtray structure as claimed in claim 3, wherein said spring meansand said means for maintaining said drawer selectively in said twopositions are combined in a single spring comprising first portions inengaging relation to said journals and biasing said journals in adirection for maintaining said journals in said recesses and ejectingsaid drawer after withdrawal of said journals from said recesses inopposition to the action of said first spring portions and a secondportion in engaging relation to said drawer, said second spring portion,said drawer and said pivot axis being so adapted and arranged that saidsecond spring portion resiliently yieldably retains said drawer in saidtwo positions of said drawer.

5. An ashtray structure as claimed in claim 4, wherein said springconsists of an elastically yieldable rod which is cranked and includestwo eye portions engaged on two studs carried by said lateral walls ofthe housing, said drawer having a rear portion in sliding contact withsaid second portion of said spring, the arrangement being such that saidsecond spring portion is capable of exerting two torques on said drawerabout said pivot axis in opposite directions in said two positions ofsaid drawer respectively.

6. An ashtray structure as claimed in claim 3, comprising two abutmentscarried by said housing and located intermediate said pivot axis andsaid upper edge of said aperture,

said drawer having upper edges cooperable with said abutments when saiddrawer is pivoted beyond said inoperative position so as to tilt saiddrawer about said abutments and downwardly disengage said journals fromsaid part-cylindrical portions of said grooves and subsequently removesaid drawer from said housing.

7. An ashtray structure as claimed in claim 4, comprising two abutmentscarried by said housing in a position to be encountered by said firstspring portions for limiting movement of said first spring portionsafter said drawer has been extracted from said housing, whereby whensaid drawer is placed back in said housing, said journals are capable ofrestressing said spring by sliding in said grooves and reengaging insaid part-cylindrical upwardly extending end portions.

8. An ashtray structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein said drawercomprises two lateral ribs mounted to slide in two rabbets in lateralwalls of said housing when mounting said drawer in and removing it fromsaid housing.

9. An ashtray structure for a vehicle, said ashtray structure comprisinga receptacle having a first front wall and an upper opening, meansdefining a housing combined with a second front wall, said housinghaving lateral walls defining a cavity in which said receptacle islocated, means defining an aperture in said second front wall throughwhich said receptacle is accessible, pivot means connecting saidreceptacle to said lateral walls so that said receptacle is pivotableabout a pivot axis between a lower position of use in which saidreceptacle opening is accessible through said aperture, an intermediateposition corresponding to an inoperative position in which saidreceptacle front wall closes the major part of said aperture, and anextreme upper position, said pivot means comprising two lateral coaxialjournals integral with said receptacle, recesses in said lateral wallsin which said journals are pivotably mounted, grooves in said lateralwalls extending in a direction from said first front wall towards saidrecesses, upwardly extending passageways connecting said recesses tosaid grooves through which passageways said journals are capable ofbeing radially withdrawn from said recesses, abutment means constitutingpivot means integral with said housing in a position to be encounteredby aid receptacle in said intermediate position when pivoting saidreceptacle upwardly about said pivot axis, whereby said journals may bewithdrawn from said recesses in passing through said passageways andsaid receptacle removed from said housing by continuing to pivot saidreceptacle upwardly about said abutment means beyond said intermediateposition, and resiliently yieldable means interposed between saidhousing and said receptacle for yieldably normally retaining saidjournals in said recesses, said resilient yieldable means being adaptedto be stressed when passing said journals through said grooves into saidrecesses for placing said receptacle back in said housing.

1. An ashtray structure for a vehicle, said ashtray structure comprisinga receptacle consisting of a drawer, means defining a support housingcombined with a front wall having an outer surface, a cavity within saidhousing and containing said drawer, means defining an aperture in saidfront wall whereby said cavity is accessible from a side of said wallopposed to said cavity, said aperture having an upper edge and a loweredge on said outer surface, said drawer having an upper open side and afront wall having an upper outer edge, pivot means connecting saiddrawer to said housing to pivot about an axis between an inoperativeposition and a position of use in which position of use said drawer isdownwardly and forwardly inclined so as to present the said open side ofsaid drawer in front of said aperture, and means for maintaining saiddrawer selectively in said two positions, said pivot axis being solocated relative to said drawer and said upper and lower edges of saidaperture that said upper outer edge of said front wall of said drawer isin the vicinity of but does not project beyond said upper and loweredges of said aperture relative to said cavity in said two positions ofsaid drawer whereby said drawer is located wholly within said cavity insaid two positions.
 2. An ashtray structure for a vehicle, said ashtraystructure comprising a receptacle consisting of a drawer, means defininga support housing combined with a front wall having an outer surface, acavity within said housing and containing said drawer, means defining anaperture in said front wall whereby said cavity is accessible from aside of said wall opposed to said cavity, said aperture having an upperedge and a lower edge on said outer surface, said drawer having an upperopen side and a front wall having an upper outer edge, pivot meansconnecting said drawer to said housing to pivot about an axis between aninoperative position and a position of use in which position of use saiddrawer is downwardly and forwardly inclined so as to present the saidopen side of said drawer in front of said aperture, and means formaintaining said drawer selectively in said two positions, said pivotaxis being so located relative to said drawer and said upper and loweredges of said aperture that said upper outer edge of said front wall ofsaid drawer is in the vicinity of but does not project beyond said upperand lower edges of said aperture relative to said cavity in said twopositions of said drawer whereby said drawer is located wholly withinsaid cavity in said two positions, said drawer being removable and saidpivot means comprising two coaxial journals mounted on said drawer andtwo coaxial bearing recesses in said housing and in which said journalsare journaled, each of said recesses having a lateral passagewayallowing the corresponding journal to be shifted radially out of therecess in a given direction, spring means interposed between said drawerand said housing and biasing said drawer in a direction to shift thedrawer out of said cavity and through said aperture but in a directionother than said given direction whereby said journals are normallymaintained in said recesses by said spring means but are withdrawabletherefrom by shifting said drawer in said given direction in oppositionto the action of said spring means whereafter said spring means ejectsaid drawer through said aperture.
 3. An ashtray structure as claimed inclaim 2, wherein said housing has lateral walls and said passageways areportions of two grooves provided in said lateral walls and extendingfrom said recesses toward said aperture, said recesses beingpart-cylindrical upwardly extending inner end portions of said grooves,said journals being slidable in said grooves and capable of upwardlyengaging in said part-cylindrical portions in said given direction. 4.An ashtray structure as claimed in claim 3, wherein said spring meansand said means for maintaining said drawer selectively in said twopositions are combined in a single spring comprising first portions inengaging relation to said journals and biasing said journals in adirection for maintaining said journals in said recesses and ejectingsaid drawer after withdrawal of said journals from said recesses inopposition to the action of said first spring portions and a secondportion in engaging relation to said drawer, said second spring portion,said drawer and said pivot axis being so adapted and arranged that saidsecond spring portion resiliently yieldably retains said drawer in saidtwo positions of said drawer.
 5. An ashtray structure as claimed inclaim 4, wherein said spring consists of an elastically yieldable rodwhich is cranked and includes two eye portions engaged on two studscarried by said lateral walls of the housing, said drawer having a rearportion in sliding contact with said second portion of said spring, thearrangement being such that said second spring portion is capable ofexerting two torques on said drawer about said pivot axis in oppositedirections in said two positions of said drawer respectively.
 6. Anashtray structure as claimed in claim 3, comprising two abutmentscarried by said housing and located intermediate said pivot axis andsaid upper edge of said aperture, said drawer having upper edgescooperable with said abutments when said drawer is pivoted beyond saidinoperative position so as to tilt said drawer about said abutments anddownwardly disengage said journals from said part-cylindrical portionsof said grooves and subsequently remove said drawer from said housing.7. An ashtray structure as claimed in claim 4, comprising two abutmentscarried by said housing in a position to be encountered by said firstspring portions for limiting movement of said first spring portionsafter said drawer has been extracted from said housing, whereby whensaid drawer is placed back in said housing, said journals are capable ofrestressing said spring by sliding in said grooves and reengaging insaid part-cylindrical upwardly extending end portions.
 8. An ashtraystructure as claimed in claim 1, wherein said drawer comprises twolateral ribs mounted to slide in two rabbets in lateral walls of saidhousing when mounting said drawer in and removing it from said housing.9. An ashtray structure for a vehicle, said ashtray structure comprisinga receptacle having a first front wall and an upper opening, meansdefining a housing combined with a second front wall, said housinghaving lateral walls defining a cavity in which said receptacle islocated, means defining an aperture in said second front wall throughwhich said receptacle is accessible, pivot means connecting saidreceptacle to said lateral walls so that said receptacle is pivotableabout a pivot axis between a lower position of use in which saidreceptacle opening is accessible through said aperture, an intermediateposition corresponding to an inoperative position in which saidreceptacle front wall closes the major part of said aperture, and anextreme upper position, said pivot means comprising two lateral coaxialjournals integral with said receptacle, recesses in said lateral wallsin which said journals are pivotably mounted, grooves in said lateralwalls extending in a direction from said first front wall towards saidrecesses, upwardly extending passageways connecting said recesses tosaid grooves through which passageways said journals are capable ofBeing radially withdrawn from said recesses, abutment means constitutingpivot means integral with said housing in a position to be encounteredby aid receptacle in said intermediate position when pivoting saidreceptacle upwardly about said pivot axis, whereby said journals may bewithdrawn from said recesses in passing through said passageways andsaid receptacle removed from said housing by continuing to pivot saidreceptacle upwardly about said abutment means beyond said intermediateposition, and resiliently yieldable means interposed between saidhousing and said receptacle for yieldably normally retaining saidjournals in said recesses, said resilient yieldable means being adaptedto be stressed when passing said journals through said grooves into saidrecesses for placing said receptacle back in said housing.